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Larson supports field turf project

DALLAS — Efforts are underway by the Dallas Booster Club to raise money to install a turf field at Dallas High School.

The club, and turf advisor Bill McNutt, have touted advantages — mainly being able to hold significantly more events on the field throughout the year — to try and raise an estimated $850,000 in money and in-kind labor for the project. The Dallas School Board voted to install a new track when the turf field is installed.

Dallas athletic director Tim Larson said he is excited about that prospect of holding a higher number of events throughout the year, but he also sees another potential benefit.

“The grass field looks great due to the efforts of the district maintenance team and has come a long way as compare to years past,” Larson said. “But as soon as the rains come, the field gets real soft and muddy. When that happens, it turns amazing athletes into average players. Look at what happened when we played against Corvallis on our field (a 2-0 win in rainy and muddy conditions) compared to our playoff game we hosted at Central on the turf field (a 50-14 victory). It was a night-and-day difference in performance.”

District Facilities Director Kevin Montague declined to comment on the project directly.

“I will say my job is to ensure whatever projects we do in the district are done correctly and comply with all the necessary codes and regulations to ensure the best value for district stakeholders,” Montague said. “This is a standard which applies to all the current projects we have going on, as well as any upcoming projects, whether done in-house, contracted out or by volunteers, and is the perspective I apply to every project.”

There would be a cost associated with upkeep of the turf field.

A turf field would come with an estimated cost of $5,200 each time maintenance is provided.

The school and district would not have to perform any maintenance, McNutt said.